Many people today perceive the food they eat as a certain amount of calories, minerals, vitamins, fats, proteins or carbohydrates. This technical information is useful in some ways and at the same time, it gives a very, very limited and narrow experience of the meal in front of us. When we see the world we live in and the food we eat mainly in materialistic scientific units, we neglect or eliminate rhythm, and beauty. Our hearts are robbed of awe and reverence towards all we are given as nourishment. These feelings are only allowed to emerge when we begin to perceive the meal completely differently.
Let us now take an imaginative walk on an autumn day. We can envision a field of wheat swaying like the sea in the wind under the blue and red evening sky. Mature and ready for harvest, its golden radiance sets the landscape aglow. Get closer and observe the tall, strong erect stem of each wheat grass. At the very top tightly packed sits a cluster of kernels each pointing toward the celestial sky.
Buy a small bag of whole winter wheat. Feel the hardness of the grains. Bite into them and taste the raw young wheat kernels. Smell the freshness of these golden treasures that have sustained humanity for ages. Who produces these wonderful golden grains? How and by what is this field of grains being created? Observing these stalks of grains in the field in our imagination, we get the feeling that along with the world of visible matter (the leaves, stalks and grains) invisible forces are at work in the process of growing this field of wheat.
If we hold the wheat kernel in our hands and "see" its potential – what it is to become if we planted it in our garden this spring– we will grasp a little of this invisible world. We will see with our mind's eye, the golden brown seeds planted in the moist fertile ground, how they will sprout, set down roots and shoot up the first young green leaves. If we continue to 'see' the green wheat grasses developing into a mature golden field of wheat with withering stalks and leaves, then we have clearly seen the processes of growth and ripening. When we practice this way of seeing we develop a skill or an organ of perception with which we are able to perceive the invisible forces at work in nature. In this way it becomes possible to get to know the invisible world through clear imaginative thinking. We come to understand and really experience that we are eating so much more than 'carbs' or 'fiber'. When we sit down around the dinner table- to break bread together -our hearts are truly in awe with wonder and reverence for this beautiful magnificent world.
Wheat Grass
1 cup of whole wheat
Baking pan size container,
Potting soil
Newspaper
Soak the wheat over night in water. The next morning drain off the water.
Soak the newspaper in water.
Place the potting soil in the container and spread the wheat kernel evenly over the soil. Drain the newspaper and fold to fit the container. Place the folded wet newspaper on top of the grains and set the container in a warm, dark place for three days. Checking everyday to make sure the soil/paper is moist. Discard the newspaper and place the container in a windowsill. Watch the wheat grass grow tall and beautiful. It will make a beautiful center piece for the spring dinner table.
Anne-Marie Fryer Wiboltt is a Waldorf class and kindergarten teacher, biodynamic farmer, author and nutritional counselor. She has taught nutritional cooking and counseled for 25 years in her homeland Denmark, Europe and the United States.
She trained as a macrobiotic cooking teacher and counselor and studied the principles of oriental medicine and the research of Dr. Weston A. Price before embracing the anthroposophical approach to nutrition, food and cooking.
This Four week course will explore some of the many benefits of fermented and cultured foods,
and why it is important to include them regularly with every meal. You will be guided through the steps of making sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled vegetables, kefir, soft cheese, and yogurt, as well as get a chance to discover new fermented drinks such as kvass, wines, and beers. I will aim at answering personal questions around your culturing and fermenting experiences.
Intuitively we know that cultured and fermented foods are real health foods. Naturally fermented and cultured foods are an exceptional way to prepare different ingredients and some of the most important side dishes and condiments in our diet. They are often overlooked or not mentioned when we describe what we had for dinner, and yet they are pivotal in creating a well-balanced, nutritious meal.
They add a bounty of nourishing, life-promoting substances and life forces, almost miraculous curative properties, and a wealth of colors, flavors, and shapes. They increase the appetite, stimulate the digestion, and make any simple meal festive and satisfying. The course will be highly practical with many hands-on activities.
In this Four week course you will learn about the nutritional needs of your growing child and receive delicious, seasonal, wholesome nutritious menus and recipes on affordable budget so as to encourage children to eat and live healthy.
During this course we will explore the nutritious needs for your growing child.
We will discover how rhythm, simplicity and nourishing activities support a healthy child development. You will find new ways to encourage your child to develop a taste for natural, wholesome foods as well as receive and create delicious, seasonal nutritious menus and recipes that stay within the limits of your budget.
Cooking for the Love of the World:
Awakening our Spirituality through Cooking
by Anne-Marie Fryer Wiboltt
A heart-centered, warmth-filled guide to the nurturing art of cooking. 200 pages, softbound
The Wise Woman University (WWU) is a sacred distance learning environment for the reweaving of the healing cloak of the Ancients.
